Interior Department Plans to Open All Its Public Land to Hunting and Fishing — Unless Specifically Closed by Site Managers

[Greybeard]

The Secretarial Order aims to "eliminate needless regulatory or administrative barriers and to expand opportunities"

Interior Department Plans to Open All Its Public Land to Hunting and Fishing — Unless Specifically Closed by Site Managers

Secretarial Order 3447 will require that most public lands managed by the Department of the Interior are open to hunting and fishing access unless specifically closed by site managers and agency directors.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[SAJ-99]

Details are a bit vague. I'm a little surprised by the conservation groups jumping behind this, particularly WSF commenting on lead ammo and fishing tackle.

There is a NWR very close to me that I have done RMEF work on the last couple of years. A large part of the NWR is closed off to even hikers but parts open up to hunting for select opportunities. Staff have told me that they are conflicted by most people not being able to see other parts of the NWR but also acknowledge that if it were opened up the human activity would destroy a lot of what makes the place special.

 

[Oak]

"Secretarial Order 3362, signed by then-Interior secretary Ryan Zinke, confirmed Interior’s role in the conservation of big-game migration corridors and winter range. That SO, signed at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in 2018, is still in effect and continues to direct much of the funding and agency priorities that have benefited elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and other big-game species across the intermountain West."

Bighorn sheep were specifically excluded from SO 3362. An effort to get the species added before the SO was signed looked to be successful, but was yanked back by David Bernhardt literally the day of signing due to concerns from the ag industry.